Chinese Robot Firms Pivot to Household Chores, AI Brains Key

Chinese robot companies are shifting focus from performance showcases to practical applications in everyday life. A recent demonstration by X Square Robot highlighted humanoids performing household tasks, such as slowly picking up litter and sorting flower bouquets. This event signaled a deeper industry move toward proving value in messy, unpredictable home environments.

Credit: X Square Robo

Chief Executive Wang Qian of X Square Robot stated that while the hardware is largely developed, the artificial intelligence "brain" has not yet advanced sufficiently. This gap is becoming evident as companies transition from pre-programmed demonstrations to real-world deployment of robots.

Chinese humanoid robots can complete half-marathons faster than elite athletes, but tasks simple for humans remain difficult. Tidy a cluttered room, load a dishwasher, or fold clothes pose significant challenges for these machines.

Chief Executive Wang explained that marathon robots primarily contend with a constant gravitational field. However, manipulating objects with hands requires extreme precision; a deviation of 0.1 millimetres can cause a task to fail.

Repetitive actions like running require robots to be trained on relatively simple datasets. Navigating a household, where no two tasks are identical, demands a much more sophisticated AI "brain" capable of perceiving gravity and light like humans.

X Square Robot, based in Shenzhen, states it developed such an AI model called Wall-B. Wall-B was trained on data collected from over 100 households, with exposure to "noisy" conditions like pets and clutter deemed critical for performance improvement.

The company plans to introduce Wall-B into its home-cleaning robots in late May. X Square Robot also partnered with Chinese services platform 58.com, allowing Shenzhen users to book a human cleaner alongside one of the company's home-cleaning robots. A three-hour shift costs 149 yuan ($21.90), and the machines have serviced over 50 households.

Chief Executive Wang acknowledged that initial consumer feedback described the machines as slow and clumsy. However, Wang argued that real household deployment is essential for robots to enhance their ability to perform simple tasks effectively.

Wang noted that sometimes robots may place slippers in the kitchen or pause mid-task to "think"; company employees intervene remotely during such malfunctions. Wang also highlighted the enormous potential market size once the technology matures and robots become reliable household helpers.

Wang pointed out that household labour accounts for roughly 20% of GDP, representing a potentially vast market. Founded less than three years ago, X Square Robot has raised billions of yuan from investors, including Chinese tech giants Xiaomi and Alibaba, who are heavily investing in AI.

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• Chinese robot firms are shifting focus from high-performance demonstrations to practical household chores.

• X Square Robot's Chief Executive Wang Qian noted the hardware is ready, but AI "brains" need further development for complex tasks.

• Simple household tasks, requiring precision and adaptability, remain difficult for humanoids compared to repetitive actions like running.

Source: REUTERS